The present invention relates generally to telecommunications equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to telecommunications equipment for use in twisted pair telephone carrier systems.
Telecommunications systems commonly include cables containing bundles of conductor pairs for transmitting telecommunications signals (e.g., voice only signals, data only signals, and combined/mixed voice and data signals, etc.). In these systems, mating connectors (e.g., 25 pair Telco or Amp connectors) are used to couple the cables to telecommunications equipment for processing. In a twisted pair telephone carrier system servicing residential and/or businesses, the system may include an MDF (Main Distribution Frame), a POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) splitter for separating voice and data signals, and a DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multi-Plexer). For most systems, it is desirable to maximize the densities of the component parts. It is also desirable to be able to easily test the telecommunications lines of the system to identify errors.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a telecommunications component including a circuit board having a first end and a second end. One or more jacks are connected to the circuit board adjacent the first end. The one or more jacks define at least 24 ports for receiving tip-and-ring plugs. The one or more jacks also include electrical contacts corresponding to each of the ports. An input connector is positioned adjacent the second end of the circuit board, and an output connector is also positioned adjacent the second end of the circuit board. Tracings are also provided for electrically connecting the input and output connectors to the electrical contacts.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a test box including a housing defining a front plane and a back plane. A plurality of jacks are positioned adjacent the front plane. The jacks define a plurality of rows of ports. Each row of ports includes at least 24 ports. The jacks also include electrical contacts corresponding to each of the ports. The testing box also includes a plurality of pairs of electrical connectors positioned adjacent the back plane. Each pair of electrical connectors includes an input connector for inputting signals into the test box and an output connector for outputting signals from the test box. The test box further includes a plurality of circuit boards positioned within the housing. The circuit boards include tracings for conveying signals from the input connectors to the jacks and for returning the signals from the jacks back to the output connectors.
A further aspect of the present invention relates to a telecommunications system including a main distribution frame, a splitter device, and a test box positioned between the main distribution frame and the splitter device. The test box includes input and output connectors. The test box also includes jacks defining ports for accessing (e.g., with a tip-and-ring plug) mixed voice and data signals passed through the test box. The test box further includes circuit boards for passing the signals from the input connectors to the jacks, and for passing the signals from the jacks to the output connectors. First cables are provided for outputting the signals from the main distribution frame to the input connectors of the test box, and second cables are provided for outputting the signals from the test box to the splitter device.